Quill-cleaner.



J. S. LANIER.

QUILL CLEANER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.2I| 1913.

Patented July 11, 1916.

wifneooeo JAMES SMITH LANIER, OF CHAMBERS COUNTY, ALABAMA.

- QUILL-CLEANER.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, J ABIES SMITH LANIER, a citizen of the United States, residing in the county of Chambers and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Quill-Cleaners; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and'use the same.

This invention relates to improvei'nents in the art of removing waste yarn from quills or bobbins, and more particularly to means for feeding quills to yarn removingmeans and also to pneumatic means for removing the yarn.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a. view partly in vertical section and partly in elevation embodying the features of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof. parts being seen in llQl'lzontal section. Fig. 3 is a transverseseetion taken on the plane indicated by line 3-3 of Fig.2.

Referring to the drawing by nume ".115, 1 indicates-a pneumatic tube through which is passed a cleansing blast from any appropriate source. as a fan, blower or pump, not illustrated. or a compressed airtank 2. Extending through the tube 1 are rods 3. 3 which are spaced apart appropriately for forming a series of tracks for quills, the rods being spaced a distance less than the diameter of the heads of the quills but greater than the bodies of the quills and the The several rods 3 are arranged on an incline and those p'or-' waste carried thereby.

tions of the rods which extend upwardly from the tube 1 are surrounded by a pan or easing formed merely of confining vertical walls adapted to prevent unguided quillsfrom rolling or otherwise falling from the tracks 3. Adj :1 cent the upper ends of the rods 3 said rods are connected by a crossbar which is engaged by a connecting rod or pitman (l, the latter in turn engaging a strap 7 of an eccentric 8 fixed to a power shaft 9. The shaft 9 is driven from any source not illustrated and is adapted to rotate sufiiciently rapidly to impart a rapid vibratory movement to all of the rods or tracks 3. the movement being prefe 'ably comparatively short Specification of Letters Patent.

* by opening a valv Patented July 11, 1916.

Application filed August 21, 1913. Serial No. 786.024.

in the length of stroke. Disposed above the upper end portions of rods 3 is a hopper 10 whose lower end opens within the casing -l immediately above the rods 3, a suflicie'nt space being left for the free discharge of quills from the hopper 10 onto the rods. An appropriate container 11 for waste is prefe -ably disposed beneath the lower end of the tube 1.

The casing 4 and rods 3 are preferably fixed to the tube 1 and the tube 1 is formed in its side walls with slots appropriate for admitting the passage of quills. the slots being disposed to register with the spaces between the rods. As the said rods are fixed to the tube 1, and the tube is fixedly supported by any appropriate frame or other sustaining means not illustrated. the movement of the upper ends of rods 3 by the vibrating device is accomplished by the springing of the rods so that the vibration is rendered very effective. Obviously, numerous'other forlns of apparatus might be adopted for effecting the vibration and the tracks for the quills might be otherwise mounted.

In operation. the blast being turned on. as 12. the hopper 10 is filled with quills taken from shuttles or other sources and bearing varying portions of waste yarn, such for instance, as the quills discharged from automatic looms. he quills are deposited on the rods in a more or less confused state as to relative disposition, but the vibratory movement caresses those quills which do not firstfall into a pendent position to become al'ined with the slots or openings between the rods and thereupon the tapered or smaller end down and the respective of each quill drops quill thus hangs by its head resting on two adjacent rods with the body of the quill pendent between the rods. The incline of the rods should be sufficient to insure travel of the quills longitudinally of .the rods by gravity, and this will, of course, be 'enhanced by the vibratory movements of the rods. As the quills move through the respective slots in the walls of tube 1 and thus enter the line of blast. the ends of the yarn are picked up bythe blast and the remaining yarn is blown off rapidlydown into the'container 1: where it falls in a loosened mass, and from which it may be subsequently removed either for use as waste or for being treated for returning it to its initial fibrous condition, or otherwise disposed of.

It will thus be observed that the apparatus as above set forth is adapted to aut0- matically feed and clean quills, and I find this automatic action very effective Where the quantity of waste yarn :for the several quills is about uniform, but I have observed that where the feelers of pneumatic looms either get out of adjustment or have not been properly adjusted the quantity of yarn left as waste on various quills varies considerably and sometimes almost a full bobbin or quill will appear with the quills to be cleaned. Such full quills, being thicker through the winding than at their heads will not fall through the slots or openings between the rods or tracks 3, but such quills will roll or otherwise find their way down the tracks within the casing I until they lodge against the tube 1. If allowed to remain, a few of such quills would clog the operation which, of course, would do no further harm than to discontinue momentarily the cleaning of quills. This can be overcome by an operator picking out two full quills, or if any other quills happen to find their way entirely down to thetube 1 without assuming the pendent position the operator can readily adjust such quills into the slotsand thus allow ation to continue.

What I claim is-: I j I 1 1. In a quill cleaner, the combination of a pneumatic tube, and a track extending through the tube and adapted to sustain a quill while waste yarn is being pneumatically cleaned from the quill.

2. In a quill cleaner, the combination of a pneumatic tube, and a track extending through the tube on an incline sufiicient for causing a quill to travel through the tube on the track by gravity for subjecting the quill to the removal of waste yarn pneumatically while in the tube.

3. In a quill cleaner, the combination of pneumatic cleaning means for removing waste yarn from quills, a track for delivering quills to said cleaning means, and means for vibrating the track.

4. In a quill cleaner, the combination of pneumatic cleaning means for removing Waste yarn from quills, a track for delivering quills to said cleaning means, means for vibrating the track, and means for delivering quills to the track.

In testimony whereof I atlix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES SMITH LANIER.

Witnesses:

N. CURTIS LAMMOXD, C. W. BROWN.

the cleaning oper 

